This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Businesses and local councils around Australia are increasingly imposing their own restrictions on "smart glasses," responding to customers' concerns about being covertly recorded in public places. An Adelaide cafe recently banned smart glasses, citing safety concerns for vulnerable customers.
Last week, Brisbane City Council banned the non-consensual use of all camera-enabled devices, including wearable technology, phones and cameras, at 21 public swimming pools. But businesses need to be careful about how they restrict smart glasses on their premises because being too strict could break the law. If a private business posts its terms of entry at the door, you are bound by those terms when you enter.
Australian businesses can impose whatever terms they like on consumers, provided those terms are lawful. For example, a pub can refuse you entry if its rules prohibit torn or soiled clothing and you are wearing ripped or dirty jeans. A library can eject you if you are disorderly and disturbing the quiet for other patrons.
But business terms that break the law are not enforceable. An outright ban on patrons using smart glasses, whether recording or not, risks violating anti-discrimination laws. Smart glasses—including the best-known Ray-Ban Meta glasses—can be fitted with prescription lenses.
Alternatively, someone might simply need smart glasses to support their vision. In both cases, a blanket ban might constitute unlawful discrimination under Australia's Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Smart glasses can also support people with mobility issues.
Ray-Ban Meta glasses offer "Be My Eyes" functionality, enabling hands-free calls and live captioning for phone calls. Other emerging models of smart glasses can apply augmented reality technology to float captions into the wearer's line of sight, aiding people with hearing issues. Some can even capture conversations and produce transcripts.
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